SMART FOREASE, ELECTRIC BIRTHDAY

Smart celebrates its 20 anniversary at the Paris Motor with a show car that interprets and embodies urban driving fun in a refreshing way. The Smart Forease is extroverted and offers an uncomplicated solution for urban mobility. Seated under the open sky, the driver is at the centre of the hustle and bustle of the city, in which, thanks to the electric drive, they can freely participate.

The designers bring the smart brand aesthetic to life, creating a light-heartedness that results from the unconventional approach typical of smart: unconventional beauty, lightness and energy (energizing lightness) are achieved by reduction to the essential (clever reduction). Like the concept vehicles “Crossblade” and “Forspeed” before it, the Forease pays no heed to the convention that a car generally has a roof. It is open to the sun’s rays and the wind, allowing its passengers to enjoy a liberated and pure driving experience. The shorter windscreen offers little resistance to the headwind.

The door handles, which are seamlessly recessed in the door, make for an elegant touch. The smart forease has a paint finish in effect-rich metallic-white. This offers a subtle contrast with the matt-silver Tridion cell and the brilliant “stream green” accents both inside and outside. Some of these are instantly noticeable, such as the contrasting green decorative seams on the upholstery, the green border around the media interface and the “stream green” contrast surfaces on the sides of the seats. Others become apparent at second glance from certain angles, such as the green honeycomb look inside the air vents plus further details on the headlamps and wheels.

The smart forease is based on the standard-production smart EQ fortwo cabrio and can therefore be driven. It also affords a preview of the electric future of the brand. Smart will switch from the combustion engine to the electric drive: since 2017, Smart has been selling only electric vehicles in the USA, Canada and Norway. From 2020, it will be marketing only battery-electric cars in Europe, too. The rest of the World is due to follow soon after.